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Twelve months back, the situation was utterly different. Prior to the national election, reflective Americans could recognize the country's serious imperfections – its injustices and imbalance – but they still could see it as the US. A democracy. A country where the rule of law carried weight. A country led by a honorable and decent official, despite his advanced age and increasing frailty.

These days, this autumn, many of us barely recognize the nation we live in. Persons alleged as illegal immigrants are detained and forced into transport, at times blocked from fair treatment. The left side of the White House – is being destroyed for a grotesque event space. The president is persecuting his political rivals or perceived antagonists and insisting the justice department hand over a huge total of taxpayer money. Uniformed troops are deployed across metropolitan centers on false pretexts. The Pentagon, relabeled the Department of War, has – in effect – rid itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny while it uses possibly reaching nearly $1tn from citizen taxes. Colleges, law firms, journalism organizations are yielding under the president’s threats, and wealthy elites are treated like nobility.

“The US, only a few months ahead of its 250^th birthday as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge toward dictatorship and fascism,” a noted author, commented in August. “Finally, faster than I thought feasible, it occurred in this country.”

Every morning starts to new horrors. And it is hard to comprehend – and painful to realize – how deeply lost we are, and the rapid pace with which it has happened.

Yet, it is known that the president was duly elected. Despite his profoundly alarming initial presidency and even after the warnings that came with the knowledge of the conservative plan – following Trump himself declared plainly he planned to be a dictator just on day one – enough Americans chose him instead of Kamala Harris.

While alarming as the present situation is, it’s even scarier to understand that we have only been three-quarters of a year under this leadership. What will another 36 months of this deterioration find us? And suppose that period becomes an prolonged era, because there is not anyone to restrain this president from determining that additional tenure is required, possibly for defense purposes?

Certainly, all is not lost. We will have midterm elections the coming year that could create a new balance of power, should Democrats retake the Senate or House of parliament. There are elected officials who are attempting to apply some accountability, like Democratic congressmen who are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to money grab by federal prosecutors.

And a leadership election in the next cycle could initiate us down the road toward restoration just as the prior selection placed us on this disappointing trajectory.

There exist millions of Americans marching in urban areas across municipalities, similar to recent last weekend at democracy demonstrations.

An ex-cabinet member, wrote recently that “the great sleeping giant of the nation is rising”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in the 1950s or during the Vietnam war protests or throughout the Nixon controversy.

During those times, the unstable nation finally returned to balance.

He claims he recognizes the signals of that resurgence and notices it unfolding currently. For proof, he references the widespread marches, the broad, bipartisan pushback regarding a broadcaster's firing and the near-unanimous refusal by journalists to sign the defense department’s demands they solely cover approved content.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays inactive before some venality turns extremely harmful, an specific act so offensive toward public welfare, certain violence so noisy, that the giant has no choice other than to stir.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I respect the author's seasoned opinion. Perhaps he will be validated.

At the same time, the major inquiries persist: is the US able to return to normalcy? Is it possible to restore its status in the world and its commitment to constitutional order?

Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment functioned for a period, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My cynical mind suggests that the latter is correct; that everything might be gone. My positive feelings, however, convinces me that we have to attempt, through all methods available.

Personally, working in journalism analysis, that means encouraging reporters to commit, more completely, to their mission of scrutinizing authority. For different individuals, it may be working on political races, or coordinating protests, or discovering methods to protect ballot privileges.

Not even one year prior, we existed in an alternate reality. A year from now? Or after another term? The fact is, we cannot predict. The only option is to attempt to continue fighting.

What Offers Me Optimism Currently

The contact I encounter during teaching with aspiring reporters, who are both hopeful and practical, {always